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SCD Research

 

  Rheumatoid Arthritis
 

While some research has indicated that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet has helped with rheumatoid arthritis, most of the listserve discussion does not agree.

 

Elaine's findings

 

Elaine writes: "The most unusual case I have had was a young woman with Crohn's and RA. She went on the diet and reported it (unknown to me) to her local newspaper who ran an article about her and the book [Breaking The Vicious Cycle]. I met her eventually and found she worked in a Stratford, Ontario health store. One week, she was not there and I was told she was sick. This was 6 months after all Crohn's and arthritis symptoms had gone. I called her and although she did not have Crohn's symptoms, she had a terrible case of arthritis. It took 2 months to clear but clear it did and since I have moved away, I have lost touch."

Regarding whether arthritis is a result of the IBD or a result of the medications used to treat the disease, Elaine writes: "From all the research I've come across, the arthritis is part of the same autoimmune reaction that causes IBD. In Fact, Dr. Alan Ebringer in London, England is a rheumatoid arthritis specialist who uses the identical diet as the SCD. He claims to have figured out that when treating his arthritis patients with 5-amino-salicylic acid (aspirin-like drug which Asacol is) that he did not get the same positive results as when he treated them with Azulfidine with not only as the 5-amino-salicylic but also a compound which inhibits the growth of bacteria. He then reasoned that arthritis may be starting with the gut bacteria and finally concluded that most of his arthritic patients (actually ankylosing spondylitis) had Crohns lesions in their gut. So he used the diet. I do not think the prednisone causes it although it sure has other side effects.

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